A Facebook Pantsuit Nation page was created a few weeks ago to support Hillary's presidential run. Since her defeat, the membership has exploded -- from 2,000 last Thursday to more than 8,000 today in the Houston area alone.

The group started off as private, but other groups have sprung up across the country, some closed, some private. If you're interested in joining, friend Pantsuit Patty on Facebook, she'll respond, and then you can unfriend her so Facebook won't irritate the hell out of you trying to get you to friend all her friends.

The groups have many different interests, but all are focused on pushing a progressive agenda. Smaller groups here in Houston are focusing on the 2018 elections, others are offering escort services to minority women who may be afraid to go out alone, still another will serve as court watchers to document and hopefully prevent miscarriages of justice against black men, some have offered to build needed websites. The list goes on and on.

If you're ready to do something, you could do worse than start here. At the very least, they can put you in touch with already established organizations active in areas of social justice, prevention of abuse, etc, that are active in your area.

As for me, I'm joining BAADWomen this week -- the Bay Area Association of Democratic Women. I love the name.

Pantsuit Patty got taken down by Facebook, maybe because they were using a copyrighted image. Look for the Pantsuit Nation Chapter Location Tool, and you can request to join. They'll point you to a local group.

Facebook shut down Pantsuit Patty, presumably because someone used a copyrighted picture of Peppermint Patty as an avatar.

People wanting to join should look for the Facebook Pantsuit Nation Chapter Locator and request to join.

But I wouldn't suggest you join if you're looking for a place to talk about voting for Trump. One of the major goals is for the site to be a safe place for minorities and others who have been harassed/bullied/attacked by Trump's neo-Nazi minions, and for people to coordinate with others who want to take action to protect civil rights and social structures that are apt to be disabled by a Republican administration.